(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a precoding method, a precoding device, a transmission method, a transmission device, a reception method, and a reception device that in particular perform communication using a multi-antenna.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) is a conventional example of a communication method using a multi-antenna. In multi-antenna communication, of which MIMO is representative, multiple transmission signals are each modulated, and each modulated signal is transmitted from a different antenna simultaneously in order to increase the transmission speed of data.
FIG. 28 shows an example of the structure of a transmission and reception device when the number of transmit antennas is two, the number of receive antennas is two, and the number of modulated signals for transmission (transmission streams) is two. In the transmission device, encoded data is interleaved, the interleaved data is modulated, and frequency conversion and the like is performed to generate transmission signals, and the transmission signals are transmitted from antennas. In this case, the method for simultaneously transmitting different modulated signals from different transmit antennas at the same time and at the same frequency is spatial multiplexing MIMO.
In this context, it has been suggested in Patent Literature 1 to use a transmission device provided with a different interleave pattern for each transmit antenna. In other words, the transmission device in FIG. 28 would have two different interleave patterns with respective interleaves (πa, πb). As shown in Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2, reception quality is improved in the reception device by iterative performance of a phase detection method that uses soft values (the MIMO detector in FIG. 28).
Models of actual propagation environments in wireless communications include non-line of sight (NLOS), of which a Rayleigh fading environment is representative, and line of sight (LOS), of which a Rician fading environment is representative. When the transmission device transmits a single modulated signal, and the reception device performs maximal ratio combining on the signals received by a plurality of antennas and then demodulates and decodes the signal resulting from maximal ratio combining, excellent reception quality can be achieved in an LOS environment, in particular in an environment where the Rician factor is large, which indicates the ratio of the received power of direct waves versus the received power of scattered waves. However, depending on the transmission system (for example, spatial multiplexing MIMO system), a problem occurs in that the reception quality deteriorates as the Rician factor increases (see Non-Patent Literature 3).
FIGS. 29A and 29B show an example of simulation results of the Bit Error Rate (BER) characteristics (vertical axis: BER, horizontal axis: signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR)) for data encoded with low-density parity-check (LDPC) code and transmitted over a 2×2 (two transmit antennas, two receive antennas) spatial multiplexing MIMO system in a Rayleigh fading environment and in a Rician fading environment with Rician factors of K=3, 10, and 16 dB. FIG. 29A shows the BER characteristics of Max-log A Posteriori Probability (APP) without iterative detection (see Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2), and FIG. 29B shows the BER characteristics of Max-log-APP with iterative detection (see Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2) (number of iterations: five). As is clear from FIGS. 29A and 29B, regardless of whether iterative phase detection is performed, reception quality degrades in the spatial multiplexing MIMO system as the Rician factor increases. It is thus clear that the unique problem of “degradation of reception quality upon stabilization of the propagation environment in the spatial multiplexing MIMO system”, which does not exist in a conventional single modulation signal transmission system, occurs in the spatial multiplexing MIMO system.
Broadcast or multicast communication is a service directed towards line-of-sight users. The radio wave propagation environment between the broadcasting station and the reception devices belonging to the users is often an LOS environment. When using a spatial multiplexing MIMO system having the above problem for broadcast or multicast communication, a situation may occur in which the received electric field strength is high at the reception device, but degradation in reception quality makes it impossible to receive the service. In other words, in order to use a spatial multiplexing MIMO system in broadcast or multicast communication in both an NLOS environment and an LOS environment, there is a desire for development of a MIMO system that offers a certain degree of reception quality.
Non-Patent Literature 8 describes a method to select a codebook used in precoding (i.e. a precoding matrix, also referred to as a precoding weight matrix) based on feedback information from a communication partner. Non-Patent Literature 8 does not at all disclose, however, a method for precoding in an environment in which feedback information cannot be acquired from the communication partner, such as in the above broadcast or multicast communication.
On the other hand, Non-Patent Literature 4 discloses a method for switching the precoding matrix over time. This method can be applied even when no feedback information is available. Non-Patent Literature 4 discloses using a unitary matrix as the matrix for precoding and switching the unitary matrix at random but does not at all disclose a method applicable to degradation of reception quality in the above-described LOS environment. Non-Patent Literature 4 simply recites hopping between precoding matrices at random. Obviously, Non-Patent Literature 4 makes no mention whatsoever of a precoding method, or a structure of a precoding matrix, for remedying degradation of reception quality in an LOS environment.